SAN FRANCISCO, December 14, (THEWILL) – Argentine ace Lionel Messi salvaged victory from the wreckage of Barcelona’s nightmare week as he netted a 76th-minute winner in their 1-0 win over strugglers Levante.
The Catalan giants were comprehensively beaten 3-0 by a Cristiano Ronaldo-led Juventus in midweek to usurp the top spot from them in their UEFA Champions League group. That defeat in Europe came on the back of an embarrassing 2-1 La Liga loss at newly-promoted Cadiz.
Embattled head coach Roland Koeman opted for experience at a time of adversity. He recalled playmaker Sergio Busquets and central midfielder Philippe Coutinho to his starting line-up, and the latter blazed over from right back Sergino Dest’s first-minute cross.
Defensive vulnerabilities in Barca’s squad were on display soon enough. Goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen had to save with his feet to thwart former Real Madrid youngster Jorge de Frutos’s goal-intended close-range shot.
In like manner, Aitor Fernandez, in goal for the visitors, denied maligned forward duo Martin Braithwaite and Griezmann.
Defender Clement Lenglet should have scored when Fernandez parried Griezmann’s header from Messi’s 21st-minute free-kick, with the Levante goalkeeper’s finest work of the first half coming five minutes before the interval. He reacted sharply when Griezmann volleyed through a crowd of players on the end of Messi’s chipped cross.
French midfielder Mickael Malsa made a vital sliding challenge as Messi’s old link-up with Jordi Alba almost bore fruit.
Levante remained increasingly pegged into their own box during the early stages of the second half. Barca had a few clear chances to show for that dominance, but Fernandez frustrated Messi twice more at close quarters.
Only when De Jong carved out space for Messi to run in behind a tiring Levante backline was the duel decisively settled.
The win takes Barcelona up to eighth, nine points shy of Imanol Alguacil’s surprise pacesetters Real Sociedad and Atletico Madrid, who lost to Real Madrid in El Derbi on Saturday.
Barcelona’s next match is a midweek appointment with table-topper Real Sociedad while Paco Lopez’s Levante must tackle Racing Murcia in the Copa del Rey.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
